Albert Camus’ “The Myth of Sisyphus” has nothing to do with climate change, but it presents an interesting
philosophy: in the face of an impossible (or near impossible) task, hope is irrelevant. It ultimately doesn’t
matter if we have hope or not in accomplishing a goal (in Camus’ specific case, it was defeating Nazis
during World War II) because meaning is in the doing. We don’t act, suggests
Camus, because we hope to win, but because action gives our lives meaning. Thus
the “absurd hero,” who works without stopping to accomplish something he or she has no hope of
accomplishing. For this essay, explain how Camus’ ideas may or may not be helpful or relevant when
considering action to alleviate climate change.
Sample Solution
